Only We See the Similarities
by profoundfantasy
Summary: New Generation. Slash fic. Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy couldn't be more different, yet that can't seem to keep them away. Maybe opposites really do attract.
1. Chapter 1

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I really want to know what you all think of this story...I'm pretty excited about it, myself. It's always been in my head, and now it's finally on the computer. haha. So please be kind and R&R

**Disclaimer: I don't own the said characters in the Epilogue...just my made-up ones 'cause I'm cool like that. Fo cereals. tehe**

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Chapter 1

Albus looked out the train window and sighed. There was a lot of chatter happening in just this small compartment, some snogging too. Thus, he had turned to the window away from it all. Who was doing the snogging was his cousin, Rose, and her boyfriend, Blake. They were both Ravenclaws, much to his dismay.

He remembered hearing her name called at the sorting ceremony when they were first years. The hat took awhile, but then had shouted 'Ravenclaw!' At this time, Albus had already been sorted into Gryffindor. The hat, took, took a long time, switching back and forth between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Albus remembered quite clearly how he had kept chanting over and over again in his head, 'I can't be in Slytherin!'

He knew that his parents would be fine with whatever house he was in, and that his middle name was from a great wizard who was in Slytherin, but it still seemed vile. He didn't seem like a true Slytherin. Sure, Albus had a temper and was quite clever in his own way, but being anything besides a Gryffindor would feel too different. And Albus was already different enough.

A bump in the ribs interrupted his mindless thoughts. The stupid git, known as Rose's boyfriend, had pushed her into him; they were still having a snog fest.

He shoved them away, scoffing, "Cut it out, will you? It's crowded enough as it is." The lovesick couple parted lips, sheepishly smiling.

"Sorry mate," Blake exclaimed, "couldn't help myself. She's just too irresistible!" Rose playfully punched Blake in the arm, blushing. He laughed aloud, kissing her some more, while Albus made a face. _They can be so disgusting._ Al turned back to the window, his face still scrunched up in distaste.

It wasn't the snogging that bothered him; he desired it himself, wishing to have someone to kiss him the way Blake kissed Rose. But sadly, Albus had no experience in that matter. Sure, he's had his first kiss before, but it was less than to be desired for. Shelley Brown had snogged him one day in his fourth year. He'd already outed himself as gay by then, yet for whatever reason, she refused to believe him. But after she parted lips with him, she immediately got offended when Albus, his nose wrinkled, just merely shrugged. Of course, even if he were straight, the kiss still probably would have been unpleasant. Shelley had pretty much jammed her tongue down his throat, sucking his face off like an out of control vacuum.

He shuddered at the memory, then sighed again. Albus was going into his sixth year and was still single. His brother James, on the other hand, has had so many girlfriends through the course of his Hogwarts life, it'd probably take about four or five hands to count them all! Girl of the month is what he and Lily called it.

_It just seems like I'm the only homosexual here. _Well, that wasn't all true. A couple of guys had asked Albus out before, but there were no real relationships formed. This was the time when he fancied seventh year Hufflepuff, Eros Blackstone. They'd become great friends last years and Al was certain Eros liked him back. Unfortunately, one day on the lawn, Al and Eros were skipping rocks when he couldn't hold it in anymore and made a move.

He had only reached for Eros's hand to hold it, yet the guy still completely freaked out! And thus, their friendship fatally ended that day. Albus was just glad that Eros graduated; word got around fast, and occasionally people still mentioned how he managed to wet Eros's pants.

Albus knew that he didn't necessarily _need _anyone. He wasn't desperate, and could just focus on his studies and friends. Albus knew all that; his parents told him so practically everyday. But, indubitably, Albus is a guy who has hormones..and feelings. And lately it seemed that all anyone talked about was the opposite gender, who he/she liked, and his/her boy/girlfriend. It was quite ridiculous, but it also made Albus feel incredibly lonely.

Still lost in thought, blocking all other noise out, Albus sighed once more and rested his head against the window, closing his eyes.

--

"Wow, wow knew you were such a heavy sleeper! You missed everything!" A shake slowly startled Albus out from his sleep. He groggily opened his eyes, rubbing them to see better, and noticed dried-up drool from the side of his mouth. Albus subtly wiped that away and asked, "What happened?"

He finally focused in on who was talking to him, and saw that it was Tilly. She was known for her gossip and knew everything about everyone from all years and houses; it was a bit scary, really. Tilly tossed her long black hair over her left shoulder and leaned in toward Albus. "Well, Mindy and Fred got into a huge fight and started hexing each other!"

Albus laughed at this statement, though it was no surprise. They were always on-again, off-again. He didn't have to ask who won. Fred Weasley wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, not to mention extremely gullible.

"...make-up soon. Always do! Honestly, I think it's quite pointless that they're still together, but hell to what I know!" Tilly paused for a second, tapping her chin lightly before opening her mouth again. "Oh! Scorpius got in trouble by the trolley cart lady for messing with some first years."

Albus groaned, muttering, "I hate that git!" And it was no understatement, either. He and Scorpius had always butted heads with each other since the first day they met. Albus had always tried to be nice and complacent towards everyone whereas Scorpius purposefully searched for trouble. It was such an unflattering quality.

"Yeah, and the he proceeded to argue with the lady until the conductor threatened to throw him off the train. Wish he was thrown off or sent to the giants for a snack." Tilly retorted. She was muggleborn, so it was obvious why she didn't like him either. "And Louis Weasley lost his cat, Freida."

"Wow, I really did miss a lot!" Albus sat up and glanced out the window. It was still fairly light out. "How long was I asleep?"

"Just shy of two hours," Cody Thomas looked up from his book, speaking up for the first time today. "You might want to change into your robes soon."

Albus glanced at everyone in the compartment and noticed that they were all in their robes. "Alright." He grudgingly got up, grabbed his school robes, and headed for the bathrooms. As Albus approached the small bathrooms, who did he see but the infamous Scorpius Malfoy and his cousin, Louis.

He straightened up, folded his arms, eyes narrowed. "Thought you were told to stop messing with first years."

Scorpius looked up, startled at who was talking to him. He smirked, relaxing, when he saw it was Albus. "Come to save the day, Potter?" Scorpius leaned against the bathroom door, but dropped Louis's wand to the ground, nonetheless.

Albus ignored Scorpius and, instead, picked up the wand. As he handed it to his little cousin, Al asked, "Have you found your cat yet?"

The small redhead shook his head. "No, not yet. I accidentally opened the door to the corridor and whoosh! Freida was gone."

"I'll help you look for her," Albus offered, if only to make his cousin happy.

"Thanks!" Smiling and relieved to have been rescued from Malfoy, Louis hurried away, calling for his lost cat.

A scoff came out from Scorpius's mouth. "Do you not have a dick?"

At this, Albus turned to face Scorpius, glowering at him. But the Slytherin was unfazed as he said, a smirk forming upon his lips, "You're too nice and too much like a girl. Maybe you should prove it."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Albus retorted. But Scorpius just shrugged, merely smiling. He leaned his head against the door and closed his eyes, which caused Albus to get even angrier.

"Look, I'm not in the greatest mood Malfoy, so I suggest you move out of the way and let me in."

Scorpius opened his eyes, now flashing, excited for a challenge. A smug expression appeared upon his face. "Make me," he stated.

Albus's scowl got more intense as he weighed the option of hexing Scorpius right now or going to a bathroom elsewhere. But the latter seemed too cowardly, and that was something Albus was certainly not -- especially not in front of this cocky Slytherin.

So Albus stepped closer to Scorpius, roughly shoving him aside, causing him to stumble sideways. Al placed his hand on the door handle, but just as he was about to turn it, a hand grabbed his arm. Albus looked up, only to see Scorpius standing almost nose to nose, holding a death grip on his arm. Al's heart started racing; he turned his head so as not to notice Scorpius's intense, almost perfect features. Instead, he focused hard on the door and not being able to go inside. "Let. Go." Albus sneered.

Scorpius was obviously enjoying himself because he just lightly laughed and asked, "What are you going to do about it, Potter?" He moved his hand down to Albus's wrist; this caused Albus's heart to beat even faster.

Trying to keep his head clear from any unwanted thoughts, Albus removed the hand holding onto the silver door handle, then quickly opened the door with his other hand.

Scorpius held on to Al's hand for a few seconds longer before letting go, admitting defeat. "Nice hair, by the way."

Albus ignored him, walking inside and locking the door. He faced the sink, hands gripping the side for support as he tried to get his breathing under control. Albus looked up, then, and frowned. Half of his short black hair was sticking straight up from where he'd leaned against the window whilst sleeping.

Albus tried as much as he possibly could to fix it, but alas, it was uncooperative per usual. So he proceeded to change into his school robes, waiting a few minutes to see if Scorpius had left. Al didn't want another encounter with the git like that again. It felt too dangerous.

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**Tell me your opinions..constructive criticism only s'il vous plait **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for all the hits and the two reviews! I shall keep updating sooner!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP..I do own Andrew though. tehe.**

**Chapter 2**

Everyone arrived at the grand, familiar castle and walked into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. Albus waved goodbye to Rose and Blake, then took a seat next to Tilly and Andrew at the Gryffindor table. James leaned in and asked, "Did you find Freida? I swear, the little guy is going to get hexed soon. And I may be the one doing the hexing!"

Still muddled over what had happened on the train, Albus just shrugged, not exactly listening. He'd been pensive the rest of the train ride after having changed into his robes. But nobody questioned him, leaving him in peace.

James stopped trying to make conversation with his little brother, taking the hint, and turned to his new girlfriend. They'd been together for two weeks; but it was inevitable that he'd get bored of her and move on in a couple more weeks. After all, practically every girl vied for his brother's attention, and James didn't disappoint.

Headmaster Grendellyn arose and began to speak. His silver hair was tied in one long braid which shook ever so slightly when he talked. The wizard had a very enticing and intimidating presence. Yet, it was not enough to hold Albus Potter's attention for his mind soon wandered off, eyes absently gazing at the new students. He remembered being wide-eyed and fidgety as these first years were now. They were so anxious and excited; they had no idea what was in store for them.

After glancing across the faces of everyone, his eyes lingered on one in particular near the back at the Slytherin table. This guy was laughing quietly, a familiar evilish gleam in his intense hazel eyes. His platinum blond hair hung in his face. The feature that stood out most, even from a distance, was his strong chin that offeset his cheekbones. He even had dimple lines in his cheeks. _Oh man, no! Stop these thoughts! I bet he has a nice body. Augh, shut-up Albus! Shut the bloody hell up!_Albus cringed, but couldn't tear his eyes away.

Just then, Scorpius noticed Albus staring at him and smirked. It took a couple seconds before Albus realized Scorpius was staring at _him_as well. But when he did, his face immediately reddened and looked away. Al thought he could hear faint laughter from the Slytherin table.

Albus waited a few minutes, feeling embarrassed and self-conscious, then peeked at Scorpius again; the Slytherin was still watching him, that same smirk in place. Albus sighed and turned back around, forcing himself to listen to Grendellyn.

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"You feeling okay, mate? You were quiet all throughout dinner,"

Albus was walking to the commons with his friend, Andrew. Andrew had been his best friend since they'd met on the train first year. He had dirty blond hair which was hard to notice because of his buzz cut. The guy was tall and lanky, standing at exactly 6'0". Albus, himself, was an average 5'10".

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been..thinking." Al gave his friend a reassuring smile, hoping he'd get the hint. But, alas, Andrew asked, "Thinking about what?" Andrew was a very curious person by nature, and usually Albus liked this aspect of his friend because it made hanging out with him that much more amusing; they'd found all sorts of hidden places and things at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, right now was different. "It doesn't matter," Albus rushed. "Nothing important."

Andrew wanted to press things further or make a joke, but he decided it'd be in his best interest not to. "Well, whatever it is, stop! Get out of this rut mate because I found something you might be interested in."

Albus looked up, perplexed. _What could he have possibly found in just the three minutes of free time we had?_ Sometimes-no, scratch that-most times, Al didn't understand anyway. But he was intrigued, so he asked, "What is it?"

Andrew held his finger to his lips and whispered, "Not here. Tonight." This made Al rolls his eyes, but smile nonetheless. Leave it to Andrew to find a way to cheer him up and get his mind off things, without even doing anything but being himself.

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The next day, Albus woke up bright and early. There weren't any classes for a few days; he woke up early for a different reason. Albus quietly dressed into his robes, careful not to wake anyone, then crept into the common room to wait for Andrew. His fellow sixth year friend told him yesterday about some horse-like creature he'd spotted near the Forbidden Forest. Albus had quite an interest in magical creatures, so this got him excited.

As he waited for Andrew, Albus inattentively looked at the paintings and portraits. Then there was one that peaked his interest. This portrait portrayed a man painting another man. The model wasn't quite naked; only his torso was showing bare skin. But what was interesting was that on the canvas, there were two men of the same model. One looked happy and joyful whereas the other looked cyncial and somber. Albus peered closer and noticed that the two men were connected by their side and hands.

"Strange..how have I not seen this before?"

"Seen what?" A voice interrupted Albus's thoughts. He turned around, both relieved and startled to see that it was Andrew.

"Oh, um, this painting." Albus pointed to the one that had mystified him. Andrew looked at it for a brief three seconds, then shrugged and faced Albus again. "Maybe it's new," he said, disinterested.

Albus looked at it again. There was something familiar about the painting, but he couldn't quite place it. Unfortunately he could examine it no longer for Andrew was pulling him out of the Gryffindor chamber.

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"You know we're not supposed to enter this forest, right?" Albus was always the voice of reason, whether he liked it or not; this was a quality that Andrew obviously lacked.

"That's never stopped us before. Besides, everyone's still sleeping. No one'll notice we're gone." Andrew started off for the forest so Al had no time to tell him that last time they went into the forest, they almost got caught by Filch. But, he decided to obey and go along with Andrew's plan, following after the rambunctious Gryffindor.

"I saw this creature grazing just inside the forest, and so its tracks should be fairly new."

"What'd it look like?"

"I only saw a glimpse, but it was shiny and light blue. I'm not sure though."

Albus searched his mind for a name to fit that slightly vague description. He'd read every magical creature book, having fallen in love with animals at age five when he got his first cat and owl.

"A unicorn, maybe?" That's the only creature he could think of which was shiny and blue.

Andrew turned, his eyes glistening and wide. "Think so? Oh wow, how wicked would that be?! I've always wanted to see a unicorn up close!"

Albus smiled and nodded; he was thinking the same thing. He, then, crouched down and got on his knees, examining the ground for hoof prints. Andrew did the same.

After a few minutes of searching the opening of the forest, Andrew called out, "I found something!"

Al ran over to his friend, and saw a shiny substance on Andrew's finger. He took the finger and sniffed it. It was unicorn blood. "There's definitely a unicorn here, but whether it's dead or alive, I'm not sure."

Andrew frowned, wiping the blood on a nearby leaf. "There's a trail of blood that way." He pointed to his right and there was, indeed, sparkling unicorn blood on the ground.

They followed it, going deeper into the forest. Albus was jittery and eager. _I wonder what injured this unicorn. It couldn't have done much damage because the unicorn seemed to have been able to walk fine._ But then they saw it. The magical horse was still beautiful and sparkling, even laying on the ground.

Both guys ran to the horse. It had no horn but a big, gashing hole and blood trickling down.

"Damn! Some git stole my idea to take the horn," Andrew exclaimed. Albus looked at his friend incredulously for a few moments, then shrugged. It _was_ a good idea; unicorn horns could be sold for numerous of galleons! It was just a bit sad that someone killed a poor unicorn for money.

"At least I can get some unicorn hair." Andrew went over to the tail and took out his wand to cut off a few strands of hair.

Albus began to laugh, "You're so bizarre!"

Andrew grinned, laughing as well. "Hey, it's not every day you see a unicorn. Why not take advantage of this opportunity?" Albus rolled his eyes, but went over to where Andrew was to get some hair for himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all the support and alerts! I haven't updated in a bit due to school being so hectic. I already have the next two chapters written so it shouldn't take so long to update.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the fore-mentioned characters.**

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Chapter 3

Andrew and Albus sneakily crept out of the forest, cautious not to get caught. When they saw that it was clear, they ran behind the red barn of food for creatures. Albus was about to casually head for Hogwarts when Andrew grabbed him by the arm. "Shh! Don't move. I hear something."

Al stopped and waited, listening for a noise. Almost a minute passed, and yet there was no noise. He opened his mouth to tell Andrew it's nothing when there was a squeal and faint laughter.

"There, that!" Andrew whispered. Al glanced at his friend, then peered out from behind the side of the barn. He saw Slytherin robes and... _Is that a bunny?_Albus pulled Andrew toward the boys in the robes, curious.

"Wait, why are we talking toward _them?_"

"I want to see what they're doing to that rabbit, is all."

"Al...," Andrew had a warning tone in his voice. He knew his friend better than to just feel a little curiosity.

A tussle of blond hair shook as the guy imitated the rabbit's squeal. "Go on, do it!" A beefier brunette said to the blond. The blond hesitated before raising his wand.

Albus began to walk faster, almost to the point of running, his own wand in hand. He pointed his wand at the boy and quickly shouted, "Expelliarmus!" The blonde's wand flew out of his hand and landed near some bushes.

The beefy brunette, Jay Goyle; and the lean, lighter brunette, Brock Dolohov, abruptly turned around. Scorpius Malfoy turned as well, stunned and on edge.

Andrew took a small step back, sighing. He did not want to get in a fight today, or any day for that matter. Being a pacifist, fights were never his thing. Albus, on the other hand, was a different story. He took a step forward, not minding if he had a small duel with Scorpius right now. After all, the git had managed to both embarrass and confuse him.

"I wasn't going to do anything, I swear." Scorpius finally spoke, his eyes wide sans the gleam in them. He tried to explain himself as if he were in trouble with the headmaster.

"That's not what it looked like," Albus fired back, arms folded across his chest. Jay took a step closer to Albus. He was huge in comparison. "Mind your own damn business, _Potter_."

Albus narrowed his eyes, focusing his attention back to Scorpius. He could care less what Goyle thought or said. "So now you've taken to picking on innocent bunnies, have you? Seems a bit cowardly considering they can't exactly fight back. That what you're afraid of?"

Scorpius pushed Jay out of the way and stepped closer to Albus, scowling at him. "Brock, fetch me my wand," he commanded. Brock immediately obeyed.

"Do you want something, Potter?" His voice was thick with venom.

Albus glanced at the helpless bunny. It had a gash on its side, which reminded him of the dead unicorn they saw in the woods earlier.

Andrew tugged on Albus's sleeve and said, "Let's just go mate. Let it alone."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to impose on your little makeout session with each other." This statement came from Brock. He and Jay laughed aloud. Jay continued to make more jokes about Andrew and Albus being gay lovers.

_"Everte Statum!"_Jay flew, twisted in the air, and landed a few feet away from them. Brock rushed to his side. Albus was used to being made fun of for his sexuality, but to bring his straight-edge friend into the jokes? That pissed him off!

Andrew looked pleadingly at Albus. He felt extremely uncomfortable, more so than before, in this situation. But Albus avoided making eye contact. _I can't back down. Not now._

"You could get suspended for killing the school's animals." _I wouldn't mind getting expelled for killing you..and your posse._

Scorpius finally opened his mouth, letting out a light laugh. "We weren't going to kill it. Just having a little fun, that's all."

"Oh yeah? Tell that to the innocent animal over there!" Albus's dislike grew even more. And thankfully, that overshadowed his attraction for the Slytherin.

Scorpius glanced at the rabbit, then bit his lower lip. Meanwhile, Jay, having recovered, glared and pointed his wand at Albus.

"Al, stop!" Andrew held Albus back from doing anything. They'd attract a crowd if things kept going in this direction.

Simultaneously, Scorpius exclaimed to Jay and Brock, "Oh shut-up! Stop being so bloody immature!" This statement was a surprise to all parties. Albus tried to resist, but a smile crept upon his lips. Scorpius merely shrugged, then turned to his friends. "Let's go."

"But Scorp, you need to show us that trick!" Brock exclaimed, hurrying to his leader's right side while Jay took the left. "I'm not in the mood," Scorpius snapped as the three Slytherins walked towards Hogwarts.

Andrew faced Albus and glared. "You need to learn to control your temper!"

"Sorry," he said, and he meant it. Albus knew Andrew didn't like these difficult, tense situations. "Let's go show everyone our unicorn tail hairs," he said, lightening the mood. This suggestion quickly brightened Andrew, and they bounded off to the Gryffindor tower.

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**So this was pretty short, but that's because I was going to combine chapter 3/4 together...however that seemed too long. **

**R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Whoo! Another chapter! **

**And yes, TheCresentMoonWriter, Scorpius is a bit of a bastard. But does he have a soft side? We shall see! Mwahahahaha! XD**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the forementioned characters..the famous J.K. Rowling does.**

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Chapter 4

Albus was laying down in the grass on the lawn, eyes closed. He'd needed some fresh air, especially since lessons started tomorrow. And for some reason, he couldn't get Scorpius Malfoy out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. He even started being more social toward other guys, yet the stupid Slytherin was still on his mind.

Before, Albus had never thought about him in any way other than his sworn enemy. Al remembered getting off the train in his first year and meeting Scorpius for the first time. Scorpius had walked straight up to him and sneered, "So you're the famous Harry Potter's son, eh?"

Albus absolutely hated being referred to has 'the famous Harry Potter's son.' That title attracted too much attention than desired; and if he had to have a title, he'd rather earn it himself.

Albus had retorted back, "And I hear you're the infamous Draco Malfoy's son. Has he gone to Azkaban yet?"

Needless to say, the two had been going at it since then, the insults and bantering growing worse with each passing year.

And now here was Albus, perplexed. He didn't want his stomach to do flip flops every time he saw Scorpius. He didn't want to dream about Scorpius. He didn't want to be so concerned with how he looked, just in case Scorpius happened to notice. He didn't want to feel any other feelings besides annoyance and dislike toward Scorpius.

And Albus couldn't tell anyone. It was one thing for his friends to fully accept that he was gay, but they might not be so accepting anymore if they knew he had a crush on a Malfoy.

_It doesn't matter though because I don't like him. I won't. I can get over him, no big deal. Besides, I'm just probably - _"Ow!"

Albus abruptly opened his eyes, having felt something hard hit his head. He sat up and saw a rock lying near him.

"That was for disarming me." A voice got louder, then a face appeared in view.

Albus groaned. _And speaking of the bastard. Geez, did I accidentally summon him or something?_

"You asked for it," Albus stated flatly.

Scorpius laughed, plopping himself down beside Albus. _Ugh, go away! You're torturing me! _Albus yelled silently in his head. He wanted to say this but, instead, narrowed his eyes and suspiciously asked, "What are you doing Scorpius"

"What?" The Slytherin asked innocently. "Can I not converse with you?"

Albus stared at Scorpius as if he had three heads and sixteen eyes, quiet for a few moments. Scorpius, growing serious, turned his head to face the lake. "Well, I guess...I just...felt bad. For the jokes Jay and Brock were making." He bit his lower lip, his forehead creased into a frown; Albus's heart started thudding harder at the sight.

It was hard to concentrate on what Scorpius had just said because it was so out of character. Dumbfounded, he asked, "You-you felt bad?" A small smile crept at the corner of his lips.

Scorpius turned his head around, his face in a hardened expression. "Don't think too much into it, Potter. But yeah, I should have hexed them, too. They were being idiots."

Albus knew this was probably hard for Scorpius to say; he had to commend the guy. He shrugged and softly replied, "It's okay. I'm used to it." Not everyone at Hogwarts was fond of the homosexual community. _Quite ridiculous, in my opinion. _"Felt bad for Andrew, though," Albus said quietly as an afterthought.

Scorpius nodded, then asked, "So you and Andrew aren't -"

"No," Albus cut him off. He was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable talking about this, given the current situation.

"Rumours, I guess." Scorpius nervously laughed, fiddling with a piece of grass. Normally, he didn't let his guard down like this, allowing for some vulnerability to show. Scorp wasn't exactly sure why he was doing it now; he usually never let his soft side show for anyone.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. Albus wasn't exactly sure what to say or how to feel. He definitely didn't want to conclusions, but it strike him as odd that Scorpius was even the least bit interested in his own love life. Finally, Albus asked, "Why are you out here?"

Grateful that Albus had said something, Scorpius smirked slightly and said, "I could ask you the same thing."

Al grinned and answered, "I needed some fresh air, and some peace."

"Me too," Scorpius replied. "The commons was too suffocating and the library was too noisy."

Albus's eyes widened, making a noise in mock surprise. "You go to the library?"

Scorpius let out a light laugh. "Contrary to popular belief, yes. I'm quite the avid reader, mind you. My favorite books are about dragons, giants, and other creatures of that sort."

Albus scoffed. "Now that I can't believe! Just yesterday you tried to murder that poor rabbit."

"No, not me," Scorpius said defensively. "It was mostly Jay and Brock. I was just an innocent bystander."

"That's even worse, and egging them on, to boot."

Scorpius opened his mouth, then closed it. He was quiet, at a loss for words, for a few seconds. Finally he asked, "Well, what were you doing near the barn?"

Albus contemplated on whether to answer him or not. He wasn't sure he could trust Scorpius, even if their conversation was absurdly light-hearted. To be safe, Albus vaguely said, "We found a dead unicorn. Got some hair from the tail, even."

"No horn?"

Albus softly laughed. "It was already gone."

"Damn. Should have gotten there faster. Those things sell for a vast number of galleons."

"If only."

The two boys fell silent once again, staring at each other. This went on for a couple moments. Eventually, Scorpius cleared his throat and looked back at the lake. His eyes, then, brightened as he leaned back on his elbows. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?" He turned back to Albus, that all too familiar gleam in his eyes.

Albus sighed, knowing this would not have a good outcome. But nonetheless, he asked, "What'd you have in mind?"

Scorpius paused briefly, then casually stated, "Bet you five galleons you won't skinny dip in the lake."

Albus seemed to have frozen in place, not sure if he heard correctly. "S-skinny dipping in the lake? I-I can't do that," He stuttered, his voice going an octave higher.

Scorpius leaned in, getting closer, which caused Albus's heart to beat faster, if that was even possible. "Have a sense of humor, Potter! Besides, there's no one here to bust us."

Al glanced around him, just to make sure. There were only a couple of people around, immersed in either their studies or conversations. Meanwhile, Scorpius had already taken off his shirt, revealing a lean, tan stomach. _Well that answers my previous question from a couple of weeks back._ He tried not to gawk.

Instead, he focused on what Scorpius was trying to get him to do. He sniffed at the thought. "I am no way in hell getting naked with you."

"Afraid I might see you get a boner? Well, that's if you even have a dick. I'm still not sure." Scorpius had a pronounced smirk upon his face, clearly enjoying himself. Albus, on the other hand, was glaring. Besides, that was precisely what he was afraid of.

Scorpius sighed, not knowing why Albus had to be so serious all the time. "Don't worry, I'll keep my pants on. But if you're too much of a _pansy_- " Scorpius broke off, taunting the Gryffindor.

_Pansy?! _That did it! No one called Albus a pansy! Off went his shirt, and down came his pants. He turned around so that Scorpius wouldn't have to see his "junk." He hesitantly took his briefs off, then ran and dove into the cool lake. Al felt free, being naked and all, in the water.

Coming up for a breath, Scorpius had jumped in and was right beside him. Albus backed away, not wanting Scorpius to get too close. "Don't crowd my space."

Scorpius laughed, then got closer; he enjoyed making Albus squirm. But Albus thought it a bit rude; it was almost like Scorpius was taking advantage of him.

Al splashed Scorpius, "Stop it!"

Scorpius splashed back, then went underwater to avoid being splashed again. Albus stiffened. _Please don't get hard. Please don't get hard. Please don't get hard,_ he willed silently in his head, trying to think of something else.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts. "What the bloody hell?!"

Albus slowly turned just as Scorpius came up from the water. There, standing at the edge of the bank, was a small blond in Hufflepuff robes. Albus guessed she was a couple of years younger than he and Scorpius.

The girl was staring at them, her eyes wide. Albus wasn't sure if it was because she saw him and Scorpius together in the lake or if she noticed the pile of clothes on the ground. Probably a mixture of both.

Scorpius casually spoke up, "Care to join us?"

The girl's eyes widened even more, her face reddening. It was obvious she was mortified.

"If not, then you must pretend you didn't see anything. This is an exclusive stripper club," Albus said, a grin forming.

The girl, mortified even more, sprinted away from them. Albus and Scorpius glanced at each other, then bursted out into laughter.

"That poor girl is going to be traumatized for life!" Albus exclaimed, making his way back to the bank. He looked back at Scorpius, then glanced from side to side to see if it was clear. When he was sure no one was watching them, Albus carefully got up and placed his hands to cover his private area. Then he quickly grabbed his clothes and pulled them on his body.

Scorpius got out soon after Albus, his boxers soaking, leaving his shirt off. "I guess I owe you five galleons. You've got guts...and a dick."

Albus turned around, his face reddening. He was about to retort an insult, but Scorpius was already heading toward Hogwarts, clothes in hand. Albus sighed a happy sigh, grinning. Maybe Scorpius wasn't so bad after all.

* * *


End file.
